Hail to Old KU

A few random stories for you:

Le Musee de l'Orangerie is a museum right near the Louvre that houses the massive Water Lilies by Monet (2 rooms where the walls are covered by them!). We had a site visit there with my art history class. While my teacher went into the Museum to buy our tickets, everyone else was forced to wait outside.  We were all just standing by the door, when the security guard told us that we needed to go further away from the door. We ended up being forced about 20 yards away by a wall.  My Western Civilization professor, Nan, has "never been so offended." Because there was a good view of Place de Concorde from where we were standing, I whipped out my camera and snapped a quick picture.  Our teacher came out and said she had the tickets so we could go inside. On the way in, the security guard (the same one that forced to stand by a wall which I haven't been told to do since 1st grade) asked if he could see my camera. 'Darn it,' I thought 'is he actually going to take my camera away? I won't take any pictures in the museum!! I know how to turn the flash off too!' I reluctantly handed him my baby (AKA my camera).

"May I give you some advice?" He said, "hold your camera like this when you take vertical shots. It makes it easier to adjust the camera." Then he handed my camera back to me. "Merci," I replied completely taken aback. I went through security and found out that you can even use your flash! Jerry (my professor) told me he was standing behind me and that he had never seen anything more odd in all of his travels. A security guard giving photography advice.

I was reluctant to listen to the advice at first because he took my camera! No one does that, but in all honesty, the security guard was completely right. If I remember nothing else that I've learned while over here, I can say that I received a free photography lesson!

P.S. Nan and Jerry invited me and three other students to dinner last night.  Nan is a retired professor of education philosophy: Jerry is an attorney. If our massive family dinners and just our every night dinners has taught me, it is how to properly have a conversation/argument with an attorney. For that I would like to thank everyone in my family! You're the best!